When the U.S. unleashed 14 of its massive 30,000-pound Massive Ordinance Penetrator (MOP) bombs on Iran, I couldn’t help but think: we could use them all up before they can be replaced. Having spent 27 years in the Navy to include during two major wars, I’ve seen this story before—military operations often chew through hardware faster than we can keep up. The fix isn’t just more money; it’s a CHIPS Act-style plan to build what we need, here and now.
The CHIPS and Science Act—signed into law on August 9, 2022—has been called “the largest technology and industrial policy program in modern history, investing hundreds of billions of dollars into research, manufacturing, and American competitiveness.”
In Iraq and Afghanistan, endless deployments ground down our tanks, jets, and munitions. Parts wore out faster than we could replace them, and the strain showed. Fast forward to today: we’ve provided Ukraine with massive amounts of military equipment—artillery, drones, missiles—leaving our own reserves leaner than ever. Then there’s Israel, counting on us for arms that they’ve depleted. We’re juggling too many fires, and our current supply chain business model cannot keep pace indefinitely.
“The U.S. may be the first country to deliberately outsource its military supply chain to an adversary in exchange for cost savings,” said a recent writer. “The scale of the U.S. military’s dependence on China is staggering. Carriers, missiles, aircraft, missile defenses and tanks all rely on components or materials sourced from the People’s Republic of China,” he added.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member